Yesterday, the helmsman of the judiciary woke up to find
himself metamorphosed into the helmsman of the executive. It reminded me of
Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’, but where it differs from that of our CJ episode
is that this was not an overnight process, rather a result of a month-long
brainstorming of our leaders (do our leaders really have brains is entirely a
different question). Unable to sort out their differences and reach a common
point, the parties have taken this untrodden path, but is this path that
smoother as expected and will it lead to new elections is a million-dollar
question.
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| Arjundrishti on Elections |
Opinions are sharply divided across the political spectrum but one thing is for sure- we had very limited options and however unconstitutional this may be, this was the best among the worst. After all, the interim constitution’s violation was not started yesterday; it was long back that parties started this business of interpreting and amending laws on their whims and caprices. Everyone knows- no sooner do they face a hurdle in their roadmap, they are used to resorting to develop a ‘Rastriya Sahamati’ and clear the way.
As citizens, periodic elections, the oxygen to democracy, is what we cherish. But the widespread sentiment across the nation echoes Jay Leno: “If God had wanted us to vote, He would have given us candidates”. Resentment to the politicos is at its all-time high and given that the same bunch of leaders will come to battle in the election field; this new election setup has failed to inspire any enthusiasm in its voters. However, there are some who believe – a non-politico like KhilRaj should take this as an opportunity and go the ‘Nayak’ way. Nab all the corrupt and criminal leaders and develop the nation overnight with a magic wand. I understand the inherent frustrations, but let’s be clear: It’s foolishness on our part to expect substantial results from the new government. Let us not pin high hopes on this technocratic government just because this doesn’t contain the tainted faces of the discredited leaders. As evident from the outgoing BRB’s government, it’s extremely excruciating when your hopes are dashed. At the moment, we can just hope that it’ll be able to deliver on its election promise at the least by this year and pave way for a new course (or who knows, way for maybe the same old endless wrangling of post 2008 CA period!). Only that and nothing more. In fact, that alone is a herculean task. In a nation which cannot even ensure a fair SLC exam, rooting for free and fair elections may be asking too much. But, much of the CJ cum PM’s credibility now rests upon his ability to do just that. He should do all he can in order to free this election from the influence of muscle, money and clout. On other fronts, if he becomes able to just prevent further downslide and maintain the situation in status quo, that’ll be feathers added in his cap.
This is primarily an election government comprising of former bureaucrats and a new experiment in our political history. It was earlier reported that Mr. Regmi refused to toe the big four’s line during the negotiations that preceded his ascent to this thorny chair. But, it’s unclear, to how much extent will these parties have a say in the state affairs and the state coffers. Equally interesting will it be to see the leadership acumen of this new PM to tame the unrestrained leaders and cadres of the political outfits.
Should it succeed in conducting this very thing with which it is entrusted, it will go down in history as one of the most successful cabinets of recent times. Challenging as it is, given the formidable opposition in the streets, media and elsewhere. However, even more challenging is the task to draft that common document called ‘constitution’ from that fractured elected body. For now, I can just wish Khilraj all the best to be able to metamorphose back into CJ a clean and competent man in a few months’ time.
